Printing roll



Aug. 30, 1955 s. PITT PRINTING ROLL Filed March 4, 1954 FIG 5 FEB nvvnvrop SAMUEL P/TT United States Paten F PRINTING ROLL Application March 4, 1954, Serial No. 414,191

2 Claims. (Cl. 10192) This invention relates to printing apparatus and more particularly to apparatus for printing identifying data on a longitudinally advancing tape. i

In the manufacture of certain types of cables for the telephone industry, it has been found important to include in the cable structure certain information which will, for example, not only identify each cable by the use of a particular number therefor, but will also indicate the plant where the cable was made and the approximate date of its manufacture. The cores of such cables are usually covered with paper prior to applying the protecting sheath, but due to the irregularities in the core surface, it is difficult to print legible information on the paper wrap and a special tape carrying the required data is therefore laid in on the wrapped core as it is being sheathed.

The object of this invention is an apparatus'adapted particularly to printing selected data on such tapes as they are advanced into position on the cable core.

With this and other objects in view, the invention comprises a roller, to support and guide a longitudinally ad- 2,716,379 Patented Aug. 30, 1955 ICC the sheathing machine where the tape becomes a part of the cable. The printing wheel 18 is mounted on a spindle 20 carried by the free end of an arm 21 pivoted at 22. An inking roller 24 having a felt pad 25 on its periphery is rotatably supported at 26 by links 27 pivotally connected at 28 to the arm 21. An ink applying roller 29 rotatably supported by the arm 21 tends to support the inking roller 25 and engage the printing wheel 18. A spring 30 normally urges the arm 21 counterclockwise to hold the printing wheel under a predetermined pressure on the tape as it travels overthe supporting roller 15. y l

The printing wheel 18 includes a hub 32 centrally apertured for bearings 33, to be mounted on the spindle 20, and annularly recessed at 34 to receive sides 35. The

1 sides 35 are bolted at 36 to the hub and have an arcuate vancing tape, cooperating with a printing wheel driven by the tape and carrying a radially positioned printing unit which is adjustable to present any one of a plurality of types in printing position at the periphery of the wheel.

More specifically, the printing wheel has an arcuate opening therein extending through sides of the wheel short of its periphery and through the periphery short of its sides to removably receive a plurality of printing units, certain of them bearing permanent type, whereas others are adjustable, with endless belts of numbers, letters or the like, readily accessible for adjustment through the aperture at the sides of the wheel to present the desired characters in the printing area at the periphery of the wheel.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent from the following detailed description when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of the apparatus;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged side elevational view of the printing wheel;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken along the line 33 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary side elevational view illustrating the relationship of the inking wheel, the ink applying roller and the printing wheel, and

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary plan view of a tape identifying data printed thereon by the apparatus.

In Fig. l, a supporting frame 10 carries a spindle 11 on which a pad 12 of tape 14 is free to rotate as it is pulled by the cable core (not shown) to be made a part of the cable lying longitudinally of the cable core beneath the sheath formed thereon. The tape 14 travels over a supporting roller 15 mounted on a spindle 16 supported by the frame 10 adjacent an aperture 17 therein. The tape 14 continues around a printing wheel 18, a guide roller 19 and on in the direction of the arrow to arrangement of apertures 38 to provide access to set screws 39 disposed in threaded apertures 40 disposed at spaced radial positions adjacent the peripheryof the hub 32. The sides 35 of the wheel are secured to each other by screws 41 and have arcuate apertures 42 cooperating to provide an opening which extends through the sides short of the peripheries thereof and through the periphery of the wheel short of the sides thereof. In this opening, a permanent printing element 44 having .a letter, such as K (shown in Fig. 5) toidentif y the plant where the cable is manufactured. Other printing units 46, 47, 48, 49, and 51 are substantially identical. These printing units have either one or two endless" belt structures carrying resilient type members 53 extending around rollers (not shown) rotatably mounted on spindles 54 and having serrated or toothed members 55 whereby the characters or types on the respective belts may be moved to the printing position 56. The printing units 46, 48, 49 and 50 are identical in that they each include a pair of type carrying belts with numbers zero to nine inclusive, thereon. The printing unit 46 may print the year such as 54 illustrated in Fig. 5. The printing units 48, 49 and 50 are combined to print three two digit numbers to equal a six digit number illustrated by the combination of 19, 26 and 20 in Fig. 5. The printing unit 47 includes a single belt type structure carrying type for printing the abbreviated names of the months such as Feb. shown in Fig. 5. At certain instances, it is desirable to use the same identifying six digit number but to add another identifying character thereto such as single or double letters illustrated by the letter A in Fig. 5, this may be accomplished by the printing unit 51 having two belt type elements supporting letter type differing on each belt and including an open spot so that either no letter would be printed or any single or double letter arrangement may be printed on the tape with the other identifying characters.

The printing wheel is provided with a resilient rim 57 formed of soft rubber or the like to ride on the tape 14' and to assure suitable frictional contact therewith whereby the printing wheel will be rotated as a result of the longitudinal advancement of the tape. The rim 57 is centrally recessed at 58, the recess being wider than the inking roller 25 and the ink applying roller 29, as shown in Fig. 4, so that no ink will be applied to the rim 57. Furthermore, the rim 57, particularly the recess 58 thereof, has an aperture 59 therein adjacent the opening 42 to be free of the printing units.

Considering now the operation of the apparatus, it will be apparent that during longitudinal movement of the tape 14, the printing wheel 18 will be rotated with the various rollers so that ink will be applied repeatedly to the various portions of the printing units disposed in the printing position to cause printing of the selected identifying information (as illustrated in Fig. 5) repeatedly on the tape. Furthermore, the adjustable printing units of the printing wheel are readily accessible and adjustable to vary this information by causing very little delay at the beginning of a working day or during the time interval required to change cable cores or bring about splicing of the trailing end of one cable core to the leading end of another.

It is to be understood that the above described arrangements are simply illustrative of the application of the principles of the invention. Numerous other arrangements may be readily devised by those skilled in the art which Will embody the principles of the invention and fall within the spirit and scope thereof.

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus for printing identifying data on a longitudinally moving tape, the apparatus comprising a roller to support and guide the tape, a printing wheel having an opening in a side thereof and an opening in the periphery thereof, a resilient rim composing the outer periphery of the wheel having a central peripheral recessed portion covering the major portion of the Wheel and having an opening of the general contour and disposed in registration with said peripheral opening, means to support the wheel for rotation by the longitudinally moving tape, means to hold the wheel on the tape at the supporting roller, printing units mounted radially at spaced positions in the Wheel and the peripheral opening therein, certain of the printing units having a belt of spaced type and means accessible through the side opening in the wheel for adjusting the belt to selectively position the type singly in the printing position adjacent the periphery of the wheel, and an ink applying roller smaller in width than the width of the peripheral recess and opening to apply ink solely to the type in the printing position.

2. An apparatus for printing identifying data on a longitudinally moving tape, the apparatus comprising a roller to support and guide the tape, an arm having one end supported on a pivot and the other end supporting a spindle parallel with the pivot and the roller, a printing wheel having an annular hub freely rotatable on the spindle With a series of spaced radially extending apertures disposed in one half the periphery of the hub and an annular recess in each side of the hub, printing units having like neck portions selectively receivable in the apertures of the hub and removably mounted therein to position their outer-printing ends like distances from the axis of the hub, certain of the printing units having belts of spaced type and means short of said printing ends for adjusting the belts to selectively position the types singly on said printing ends, cupped side members mounted in the recesses of the hub and secured to each other and the hub to enclose the major portion of the hub and the printing units, the side members having aligned arcuate apertures opening access to the adjusting means and aligned arcuate recesses in the peripheries thereof jointly completing a peripheral opening in the side members for the printing ends of the units, a resilient rim composing the outer periphery of the printing wheel fixed to the peripheries of the sides and having a central peripheral recess with an opening disposed in registration with the peripheral opening of the side members, an ink applying roller smaller in width than the peripheral recess of the resilient rim to apply ink solely to the printing ends of the units rotatably carried by the arm, and means to urge the arm in a direction to force the resilient rim of the printing Wheel against the tape at the roller to cause the printing wheel to be rotated by the longitudinal movement of the tape.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,115,646 Wronker Nov. 3, 1914 1,208,642 Pitney Dec. 12, 1916 1,226,243 OConnor May 15, 1917 1,623,478 Jahn Apr. 5, 1927 1,743,468 Marshall Jan. 14, 1930 1,792,642 Jones et al. Feb. 17, 1931 2,116,609 Shomaker May 10, 1938 2,424,606 Engler July 29, 1947 2,634,676 McKay Apr. 14, 1953 

